I fell in love with there smokehouse thermocouple. I have had a hundred -I don't think I am exaggerating- of those cheap Polder types fail. The wire in the probes melts around 300°F My oven is usually higher, my gas grill is almost always higher. The Smokehouse has 1000° wire. Most self cleaner oven only go to 8 or 900.

I also have one of the pens GB and Uncle Bob have. Mines is red. Great tools.

those cheap Polder types fail. The wire in the probes melts around 300°F

i have had Polders that fail too. I do not see them as a tool that lasts forever. I have never had the wires melt though. I find it hard to believe that an over thermometer would have wires that fail at 300 degrees when very little is made in an over at below that temp.

I bought my setup from Cole Parmer. The meter came with a probe, but I also bought a hypodermic style probe. You can't even tell where it was inserted into the meat. The meter was something like $30 and the hypodermic type-k immersion probe was something like $65-70. You can use any type K thermocouple with it. It also reads instantly.

Total argeement about the Polder type probes. Every Thanksgiving I used to buy two new ones (I do two turkeys at Thanksgiving), hoping for a better performance, but I was always dissapointed. Last year, I bought two of Thermowork's smokehouse thermocouples like Robt mentioned above and they are MUCH better.

I bought this over the Thermapen because I can add other probes later to this unit and it is cheaper. $43 for the MTC and $30 for the needle probe. This unit also has a magnetic back so can be attached to fridge, stove, etc..

This look like a pretty good unit overall. Small and should work for what I need now. Looking to get a probe later that can go in the BBQ and stay in the meat. Maybe this summer.

Here is what all came in the box minus a small brochure.

Here it is all set up and ready to test.

And here is the tip. This tip is smaller than the Thermapen and a tiny bit quicker.